Abraham Lincoln

Born Feb. 12, 1809, near Hodgenville, Ky., U.S.—died April 15, 1865

Abraham Lincoln overcame crushing poverty to become a mostly self taught lawyer, a renowned orator, a brilliant political mind, and President of the United States. He failed to win political office multiple times yet he never relented and was elected President in 1860. 

During his presidency he guided the nation through the Civil War with personal and political integrity. ”Lincoln is measured by his most lasting accomplishments: the preservation of the Union, the vindication of democracy, and the death of slavery—accomplishments achieved by acting "with malice towards none" in the pursuit of a more perfect and equal union.”